Among related developments have been those disclosed in these U.S. Pat. Nos.:
1,741,205 issued to T. L. Smith on 12-31-29, discloses padlocking toggles on outboard motor clamps; PA1 2,144,837 issued to J. L. Douglas on 1-24-39, discloses a lockable arm on a screw clamp of an outboard motor; PA1 2,279,006 issued to A. M. Walters on 4-7-42, discloses capturing the crossbars of outboard motors clamping screws in a boxlike lockable tubular enclosure; PA1 2,702,173 issued to R. E. Young on 2-15-55, discloses a left-and-right hand threaded rod for holding perforate toggle handles of an outboard motor clamp and preventing them from loosening; PA1 2,785,563 issued to E. A. Strollis on 3-19-55, discloses a rod and lock to keep the rod from being removed from a bracket screwed to the transom; the rod is in position to prevent the clamps of an outboard motor from being lifted past it; PA1 4,228,983 issued to J. H. Bowman, Jr. on 10-21-80 discloses a box-like hinged cover with lock to enclose the attaching mechanism of an outboard motor.
Each day many valuable outboard motors disappear from boats on which they are mounted. In most cases the motors could have been protected by a suitable locking system. However, no locking system available appears to have found widespread use. Excess cost, complex design, specialized design, difficult installation; loose fit, producing noise and damage from boat motion; cumbersome storage problems, excessive weight, ineffective protection and corrosion have evidently prevented various designs from becoming the standard in the industry for outboard motor locking to boats.